Pokemon: Blue Version
by Vanilla Owns Chocolate
Summary: Blue Oak is determined to become the best Pokémon Trainer in the world and make his grandfather proud of him for once. Join him on a familiar adventure from a different perspective.
1. Prologue

_As soon as he stepped outside, he was overwhelmed by cheers._

 _All around him, a crowd of people were rapidly gathering, pushing and shoving one another in an attempt to get closer to him. Eager fans reached out to try to touch him, while some waved around various objects, imploring him to sign them. Children look up at him in awe, as if amazed that such a person really existed and that he was just mere inches away from them._

This is for me, _he thought in disbelief._ All of this is for ME.

 _People were chanting his name, congratulating him, patting him on the back. This was it. The moment he had been waiting for all his life._

 _But all of it was ruined when he saw_ them.

 _There they were, standing among the crowd, not cheering, not applauding, only staring. They seemed to stand out, almost as if the entire crowd had parted just to make way for them. Their faces were blank, not showing even the slightest hint of any emotion at all. Then, almost as if his body was acting on its own without any input from him at all, he approached them._

 _He had recognized them the second he saw them. Standing there were his sister, his grandfather, and his greatest rival, all waiting for him in the midst of the crowd. Something told him that they had been waiting there longer than everybody else, almost as if they had sensed that this would happen._

 _Without realizing it, he was in front of them, looking at them with the faintest of smiles. Deep down inside, however, he felt something he couldn't quite understand. Was it fear? Awkwardness? Desperation? He didn't know._

 _He addressed the tallest figure first. "G-gramps, I-"_

 _"So you did it." the old man interrupted, looking down at him with cold, emotionless eyes. "You finally did it."_

 _His voice died in his throat, and he held his tongue. The man sounded just as devoid of feeling as he looked. He looked down at his feet, allowing his elder to continue._

 _"You are now the Pokémon League Champion of the Kanto region. How fantastic. I always knew you'd achieve great things."_

He doesn't mean it. I know he doesn't mean it.

 _"I'm so proud of you, Blue."_

He's lying. He has to be lying.

 _He hadn't noticed, but the noise of the crowd had died down, to the point where it seemed as if there was nobody there but him and the three people he had been the most scared of showing up._

 _Professor Oak put his arms around his companions, his gaze somehow growing even more icy as the scenery around them slowly began to change. Everything went dark, except for them. They were the only things he could see in this horrible, shadowy place._

 _"Why?"_

 _The question pierced through his mind like a bullet. He wasn't sure who had asked it. Hell, for all he knew, it could've been him. All he DID know was that the same question kept repeating through his head, the three people in front of him chanting it in unison._

 _"Why, Blue? Why did you do it? Why couldn't you just accept things the way they were?"_

 _Fuck, he was crying. He tried to hold back his tears, but his efforts were useless as he silently felt them stream down his cheeks. He knew this was coming. He hid his face as they repeated their queries, their tones sounding more and more angry as time went on. Their voices seemed to blend together as they pelted him with a barrage of insistent questions._

 _"Why did you have to go beyond?"_

 _"Why did you have to replace me?"_

 _"Why did you have to leave?"_

 _Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. "I-I thought you wanted me to succeed!" he screamed out, fury rising in his heart. "I went above and beyond for YOU! Why aren't you proud of me, huh?! No matter what I do, it never seems to be good enough for you!"_

 _He looked up, coming face-to-face with his angry grandfather. Instead of asking a question, though, he said the one thing that Blue knew was coming for a long time. Unfortunately, despite expecting it, it still hurt him even worse than the others._

 _"I could never be proud of someone like you."_

* * *

He jolted awake in his bed, breathing heavily as sweat ran down his forehead. Looking around wildly, he gradually calmed down as he realized that he was in his own room, the alarm beeping loudly. Still shaky, he looked over at the clock, wondering idly what time it was. He had set it to go off at 6:30, hoping to get up as early as possible in order to get to the lab first.

 _Funny_ , he thought. _I can't believe I slept through_ _that._

He jumped as he saw the time written on the digital screen. "7:30?!" he exclaimed. "I slept in for a whole HOUR?!"

Cursing to himself, he scrambled out of bed, rushing to his closet to hurriedly put on his clothes. _Shit, shit, shit, shit..._

He was going to be late. He was going to be late and then he wouldn't get the first Pokémon and then Red would get the one he wanted and then he would beat him and-

No. He had to focus. As quickly as he could, not even bothering to brush his messy brownish-red hair, Blue Oak got dressed and ran down the stairs.

It was finally time, and he wouldn't let this opportunity go to waste.

He was going to be the very best, like no one ever was.


	2. Choose Your Starter

Blue nearly tripped as he ran down the stairs, rushing towards the door with a face full of determination and panic.

 _Come on, come on, almost there, almost-_

"Oh, Blue!" called a familiar voice from nearby, halting him in his tracks. _Damn it,_ he thought. _Of course she'd be up._

He turned away from the door to face the girl who had just addressed him. It was none other than his own sister, Daisy Oak, who had just finished preparing a plate of pancakes and was sitting at the table with some tea. However, upon seeing him, she immediately got up and wrapped him in a large hug.

"I can't believe this day has finally come!" she exclaimed, tears beginning to form at the edge of her eyes. "My little brother is finally all grown up and ready to get his own starter Pokémon!"

Blue groaned and rolled his eyes. He appreciated his sister's excitement, but he _really_ had to be somewhere right now.

She released him, gazing at him with the look of a mother who just sent her child off to school for the first time. In a way, she sort of was more like a mother than a sister to him. Ever since their parents had died, she had to give up her career as a Pokémon Coordinator to take care of him. She took her new job as his caretaker very seriously, and she was the only real family he had besides...

...Well, he didn't want to think of that right now. He had some very important business to attend to, and he didn't want to be more late than he already was.

"Look, sis, I get that you're happy and all, but I gotta hurry. I woke up late, and I don't want Red to-"

"Oh, nonsense!" she shushed him. "At least eat something first! A good Pokémon Trainer has to have breakfast every morning if he wants to catch 'em all!" She motioned to the plate of pancakes, which were dripping with syrup and butter. In spite of himself, Blue had to admit that they looked and smelled very delicious. His stomach rumbled a little at the sight.

He shook his head. No, it wasn't the time for that. He needed a Pokémon right now.

"I'll...come back later," he said, averting his gaze from the sweet treats that practically beckoned to him on the table. "I gotta get to Gramps' lab ASAP."

She looked almost offended as she surveyed him up and down. "Looking like THAT? Are you serious? You didn't even brush your hair!"

He sighed, smoothing his hand over his hair in an attempt to make it look somewhat more presentable. "I'm fine, sis! I'll only be there a couple minutes! I'll get ready when I get back, okay? Please just let me go for now. I promise I'll come back."

She frowned, studying him carefully with a disapproving gaze. "Well..." she started, "I suppose that's fine. But you BETTER get yourself all sparkling clean by the time you come back here, mister! Look, I'll even save the pancakes for you. How's that sound?"

Eager to get out the door, Blue nodded, his heart pounding furiously. "Yeah, that sounds great, sis! Thank you!"

She smiled. "No problem, bro! Good luck out there! I'll be sure to give you a proper goodbye when you come back, alright? I love you!"

This got him to lighten up a little, and he waved as he stepped out the door. "Love you too, Daisy!"

He ran headlong into the cool outdoor weather, waving to a couple townsfolk who were out and about. They recognized him immediately and waved back. It was hard for people not to know one another in such a small town.

It didn't even take ten seconds for him to reach his grandfather's lab. He silently thanked him for having one so close to his own house. He burst through the door excitedly. This was it! The moment of truth!

"Gramps! It's me! I'm- uh..." he trailed off quietly. In the room were three of his grandfather's lab aides, all staring at him. One of them jumped, clearly not expecting the sudden interruption. Oak was nowhere to be found.

Blushing in embarrassment, Blue tried to play it cool. "Hey, what gives? Wasn't I supposed to meet Gramps here?" The aides didn't respond at first, still a little disturbed by the disturbance that had just occurred. Finally, one of them spoke up.

"Well, yes...But the professor is out right now."

"Out? Doing what?" _Figures he's too busy for the most important day of his grandson's life_ , Blue thought to himself cynically.

"He said something about doing some field research. He wants to make sure the Pokedex is 100% ready for your journey." the same aide replied, turning back to the book in his hand.

"...Oh." Immediately, Blue felt bad for the thought that had just run through his mind. Then again, it wasn't like Oak hadn't used research as an excuse before. Even after the death of his daughter and her husband, the professor was still too busy for the young Blue and his sister.

"Well, fine. I guess I'll just wait here then. Did he say when he was coming back?" Blue asked, seating himself next to the table with the three Poke Balls on it. Part of him was tempted to open them and see the Pokémon for himself, but he restrained the urge, resorting to just examining them intently.

"No, but I think that's him now!" said another one of the aides. Sure enough, footsteps could be heard approaching the building through the door, and in stepped none other than Professor Oak himself. Blue smiled eagerly, excitement welling up inside of him. Just as quickly as it had appeared, though, it vanished when he saw who had also just arrived.

Standing silently next to Oak was Blue's best rival, Red. The boy's face didn't show any emotion as he surveyed the lab. Some of the aides waved to them both, grinning. With resentment, Blue quietly noted that nobody had waved to _him_ when he had come in.

"Gramps!" he called, not even trying to hide his annoyance. "I'm fed up with waiting! That's all I've been doing for these past couple years! Come on, let me pick out a Pokémon already!"

Oak swiftly approached the table, Red quietly following behind. Blue sneered at him, but his face was still eerily blank, as always.

"Blue?" the man said, as if he hadn't even noticed his own grandson standing there. "Let me think...Oh, that's right. I told you to come! Just wait! Here, Red..."

Blue rolled his eyes and sighed. Suddenly, he didn't feel so bad about his earlier thought.

He hated Red. That much was absolutely certain. For whatever unknown reason, Professor Oak was always too busy for him and Daisy, but never for the brown-haired, expressionless boy that hardly said a word. When they were younger, Blue would always attempt to show off his Pokémon prowess just to impress his grandfather (sometimes getting hurt in the process), but all he did was talk about how great Red was and how he had "such a promising future." This was what sparked the intense, burning rivalry between them, and Blue vowed from that point forward to outdo him at every turn. Right now, as he was about to embark on the most amazing journey he would ever experience, he desired this more than anything.

Finally, Oak stopped his rambling about whatever it was that he had just gone on about. Blue pricked his head up upon hearing him speak the one word that he had been waiting for all his life: "Choose!"

Blue started to get up, only to be stopped by his grandfather's hand. Red was busy staring at the Poke Balls, concentrating as if in deep thought.

"Hey, Gramps! What about me?" he demanded. Oak gave him a stern look.

"Be patient, Blue, you can have one too! I'm just letting Red here pick before you because I ran into him on my way to the lab. Now, Red, which Pokémon do you want?"

Blue wanted to protest that he was here first, but then an idea occurred to him. If he let Red pick now, he could then pick whichever Pokémon would be strong against him. Then, he would battle him and win. Yes, that would show the professor his knowledge of Pokémon types and weaknesses! Calming down, Blue relaxed and took on a more casual tone as he addressed his rival.

"Heh, okay then! I don't need to be greedy like you, anyway! Go ahead and choose, Red!"

The boy didn't respond, as he expected. However, his brow did furrow as he was finding it hard to choose. He looked up at the professor as if asking for help.

"Ah, having difficulty choosing, I see? I suppose it was rather foolish of me to not go into further detail about which Pokémon you will be choosing from. Here, let me tell you!"

At this, Blue listened closely. He wanted to make absolutely sure that he would pick the right Pokémon to counter Red's.

"This one right here," Oak said, pointing at the Poke Ball on the far left, "contains Charmander, the Fire-Type Pokémon. This," he motioned to the middle one, "is Squirtle, the Water-Type Pokémon. Finally, this," he pointed to the last one, "is Bulbasaur, the Grass/Poison-Type Pokémon."

Blue ran the words through his head repeatedly. _Water, Fire, Grass. Water, Fire, Grass._ It was like a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. He had to hand it to Professor Oak for laying out such a balanced team to choose from.

Finally, Red seemed to make up his mind. Grinning widely (something that was uncommon for him), he reached out his hand and selected the Poke Ball right in the middle.

"So! You want the Water Pokémon, Squirtle?" Oak asked. Red nodded enthusiastically, his smile growing wider as he admired the Poke Ball in his hands.

"I see! This Pokémon is really energetic! Congratulations on picking your starter!"

Excitedly, Red pressed the button on the Poke Ball, releasing the Squirtle that was inside it. The blue, turtle-like creature looked around curiously before his eyes landed on his new Trainer. Bending down, Red gently opened his arms, and the Squirtle leaped into them lovingly, nuzzling the human's face.

The scene was touching, but Blue was too impatient to keep watching. He confidently strode over to the Poke Ball on the right, picking it up without hesitation. "I'll take this one, then!" he said, throwing the Poke Ball to the floor. Immediately, the Bulbasaur emerged from the ball, and it too looked up at its new owner with admiration.

As soon as he saw it, his heart nearly stopped. He had been dreaming of this moment for years, and though he tried to remain calm, he couldn't help but let out a cry of happiness when he saw his new starter. He reached down and pet the Bulbasaur's head, the creature making a noise that sounding like purring in response.

The moment was short-lived, though. Turning around, Blue saw that Red was already walking away, carrying his new Squirtle with him. He couldn't let him get away now! He had to battle him in front of his grandfather so he could show him how good he was at battling!

"Wait, Red!" he called out, hastily running over to him. Red himself turned around and looked back at him, his face now once again wearing that creepy, emotionless mask. This didn't deter Blue, however. He smirked, feeling the eyes of everyone in the lab on him. "Let's check out our Pokémon! Come on, I'll take you on!"

Red looked from his Squirtle to the opposing Bulbasaur, who was running on his comically short legs to catch up to Blue. After a moment's hesitation, he slowly nodded. Then, he spoke.

"Squirtle, go!" he cried, breaking his usual silence. Without delay, the Water Pokémon jumped out of his arms and onto the ground, facing the Bulbasaur with determination.

Blue chuckled to himself. "Bulbasaur, quickly! Use Tackle!"

"Squirtle, you too! Tackle him!"

The two Pokémon charged at each other with battle cries. Red's Squirtle lunged at the Bulbasaur, pinning him down with tremendous force. They tumbled around on the floor, Bulbasaur eventually retaliating by kicking out from underneath the Squirtle's grasp and nearly crushing him under his weight.

Both Pokémon had sustained some damage, but Red was not willing to give up. "Come on, Squirtle! You can do it! Try going for another Tackle!"

Encouraged by his master's cheering, the Squirtle mustered up all of his strength and pushed the Bulbasaur off, charging him into the wall. From around them, the aides in the lab gasped in shock. "That must have been a critical hit!" one of them shouted.

Blue narrowed his eyes. "Bulbasaur, use Growl!" _That should weaken his Attack,_ he thought to himself cunningly.

Looking up at the Squirtle with hatred in his eyes, the Grass-Type let out a fearsome sound that surprised his attacker. The turtle Pokémon winced slightly at the ferociousness of the noise, giving his opponent an opening.

"Squirtle, look out!" Red called, but it was too late. At Blue's command, the Bulbasaur pounced, preventing his adversary from landing another Tackle on him.

Panting, the plant monster struggled to hold the Squirtle down. "Don't give up, Bulbasaur! Just hold out a little bit longer!" Blue called from the sidelines. It was clear to him how weak he was from that critical hit, but if he could just land one more move...

"Squirtle!" Red shouted, somehow still as stoic as ever, "Your opponent's weak! Tackle!"

Grunting, the Water-Type pushed with all his might against the force holding him down. For a while, it was just the two of them struggling to get the upper hand. The tension in the air thickened as both Pokémon tried to subdue the other, until...

With a loud roar, the Squirtle shoved the Bulbasaur off of him, rolling around on the floor. "Bulbasaur!" Blue cried. Despite his pleas for him to keep going, it was obvious what was about to happen. Unable to continue, the poor plant Pokémon's eyes slid shut, and he passed out.

Silence. Both rivals refused to look each other in the eyes. Anger swelled inside of Blue as he saw the Squirtle smile and look back at his Trainer as if nothing had even happened.

"WHAT?" he finally yelled, unable to contain his rage. "Unbelievable! I picked the wrong Pokémon!"

"Good job, Squirtle," Red murmured appreciatively, pressing the button on his Poke Ball. "Come back."

Blue sighed and did the same thing. Each Pokémon was sucked back into their capsules. He bet his grandfather was looking at him with disapproval. He bet he was going to walk over to Red and shower him with praise.

Instead, though, Oak remained silent, as did the rest of the lab. For some reason, this enraged Blue even more. "Okay! I see how it is!" he shouted, finally looking up and glaring at Red with fury. "If that's how things are gonna be, fine! I'll make my Pokémon fight to toughen it up!"

Nobody responded. Blue whirled around, as if daring somebody, _anybody,_ to challenge him. He even turned to look at his grandfather, but Oak's expression was unrecognizable to him. It seemed just as blank as Red's.

That was it. Blue decided he had had enough humiliation for one morning. "Red! Gramps!" he called, still trying to muster up whatever scrap of dignity he had left. "Smell ya later!"

No one said anything, not even after Blue stormed outside the laboratory, slamming the door shut behind him.


End file.
